Thursday, September 10, 2015

The Thrill Re-Begins

by Ed Aymar

We’re closing a chapter with The Thrill Begins. This site has hosted some of the best and brightest new voices in thriller writing over the years, and Marjorie Brody (one of those bright voices) has done a tremendous job of turning it into a valued resource for aspiring and debut writers, as well as an avenue for readers to discover tomorrow’s next generation of authors.

Marjorie is stepping down as Managing Editor after two years, I’m stepping in, and the Thrill Begins is going to take on a slightly-different format. Along with the weekly guest blogs that you’ve enjoyed, we’re launching a re-designed site and several new features, running Tuesdays and Thursdays:

1st Tuesday of the month – Publishing Panel. An editor and/or agent weighs in on a hot topic in publishing. On 9/15, Laurie McLean (President, Fuse Literary) and Elizabeth Lacks (Editor, St. Martin’s Press) discuss self-publishing, and whether it makes sense for a writer to self-publish before trying a “traditional” route.

2nd Tuesday – How It Happened. A prominent thriller writer details his or her journey to publication. On 9/22, Owen Laukkanen describes what led to the publication of his first award-winning novel, The Professionals.

3rd Tuesday – Debut Author Spotlight. An interview with a member of the current ITW Debut Authors Program. On 9/29, Wendy Tyson interviews Art Taylor about On the Road with Del and Louise, his first novel out from Henery Press.

4th Tuesday – Debut Releases. A list of the books published that month by ITW’s debut authors.

Thursdays – Murderers’ Row. One of The Thrill Begins' regular contributors will contribute a column about craft, publishing, marketing, or another topic relevant to contemporary thriller writing. Our first two contributors are J.J. Hensley on 9/17 and Shannon C. Kirk on 9/24.

The new site is located at www.thrillbegins.com. We hope you’ll check it out, share the page with your fellow writers and readers, and visit often. As I said, a chapter is coming to an end with this site, but we hope you’ll turn the page and keep reading.

E.A. Aymar is the author ofI'll Sleep When You're Dead(2013) and You're As Good As Dead (2015). He also writes a monthly column with the Washington Independent Review of Books, is the Managing Editor of ITW’s The Thrill Begins, and his fiction and nonfiction have been featured in a number of respected publications. He holds a Masters degree in Literature and lives outside of Washington, D.C.

ITW Debut Authors Committee

Interested in Becoming an ITW Debut Author?

If you're an ITW Author Member (not an Associate Member) with a debut* novel publication date of July 2012 or later whose second book has not yet been released, contact Wendy Tyson for information on how to become an ITW Debut Author member.

* In order to qualify as a debut novel for the purpose of this program, the work must be the author's first published novel under any name, in any genre, in any country, and by any publisher (including self-published).